


you fill the (ever)void in my heart

by PaladinoFandoms



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: :)), Fantasy AU, M/M, This is super bad, and my first big VLD fic so, i tried to develop plot and flesh out characters but, mild klance, mostly plot, oh also!!, think i might have failed, vld halloween gift exchange, well hope y'all enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-28 06:39:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12600540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaladinoFandoms/pseuds/PaladinoFandoms
Summary: Keith Kogane has a number of problems.1. Shiro, Matt, and Dr. Holt were shipped off into another reality and no one knows where they are2. On the first day of school, he managed to accidentally insult someone3. On the first day of school, he managed to develop a crush on said insulted someone4. The universe has apparently signed him and his friends up to save another reality that's in danger of being blown up by ✨magic✨5.Shiro, Matt, and Dr. Holt were shipped off into another reality and no one knows where they areFantasy AU





	1. Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the PoV's in this story will change. Hopefully none of the readers I manage to get will be scared off by that. Also, please keep in mind that this is my first big VLD fic (and is also unbetad) so excuse any bad writing or glaring mistakes that there may be. Have fun!

Lance was two when his parents first told him the stories of the Evervoid, a mystical place part of the unknown. The Evervoid was a tale passed around, and every kid grew up on stories of the other reality of magic and aliens. They all waited eagerly for their fifth birthday, wondering if they had the Gift, and if not, begging their parents to let them try to be one of the Learned.

The day Lance turned five, he woke up at the crack of dawn to see if the legendary vision would appear, telling of the Evervoid and Gifts. The first few weeks passed with Lance convincing himself that maybe it was only late. But before long he had turned six, and it was clear he had no Gift. This development didn't stop him, however. The day he was old enough, he enrolled himself in a class and immediately started studying in an attempt to be one of the Learned.

The day Lance turned eleven, he had a strange dream, in which he dreamed of his birthday party. He saw himself opening all his presents, noting a skateboard, an alien sweatshirt and an iPod among other gifts. He supposed it was just excitement, not thinking much of it. After all, he had better things to think about. It was his birthday! But when it was time to open his presents, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. The long package on the far side was reminiscent of that of a skateboard, and there was a squishy package next to his feet way too similar to a sweatshirt.

Ripping open the packaging, his eyes landed on a sweatshirt exactly like that of the one in his dream. He didn't even hear his sister ask if he liked it, and heart pounding, ran over to the long package. Gift after gift was torn open, and they were exactly the same as the ones in his dream.

“Holy crap,” he whispered, hands rising to pinch his cheeks.

“Language!” His mom had chided, but Lance didn't even care.

“I’M ONE OF THE LEARNED!” He shrieked, jumping up and down excitedly.

“Woah, really?!” His younger brother Mateo clutched Lance’s pants, tugging on it. “Lance, Lance, do some magic!”

“Calm down,” his mom advised. “Now, Lance, how exactly are you sure?”

Lance jumbled his words as he tried to explain what had happened, but he got his message through and he saw his family get more and more excited as he continued. He was buried in a pile of hugs as his family swarmed around him, clutching him tightly.

“When I'm older, I'm going to be a Learned too,” Mateo claimed proudly.

Lance cried, salty tears tracking down his face as he hugged his mom.

He was finally one of the Learned.

 

Lance was thirteen when he heard of the Garrison, and to get in became his goal. He wanted to get the best training possible; to be one of the best Dreamers ever. While studying in the library one day, he met Hunk, a fellow member of the Learned and they became fast friends. Having the same goal, they vowed to help each other get into the prestigious school. And after they met, Lance looked forward to his study sessions just a little more.

Lance was sixteen when he took the entrance exam for the Garrison, eagerly waiting for a month or so later when the results would come out. He actually woke up early on a Saturday morning to check the mail, paying no attention to other letters as he rifled through the stack.

_Taxes, advertisements, Garrison, Mateo’s magazine, and- _wait, Garrison!__

__Tearing open his envelope, he focused on the opening line. His eyes zeroed in on the bold ‘Congratulations’ that headed the paragraph, face going pale in shock.  
The scream that followed could be heard all the way from Hunk’s house two blocks away._ _

 

 

Keith was four or five when he woke up in a strange, unfamiliar world that people told him was the Evervoid, with no memories of anything before. He was an orphan, people told him, with only one possession- a knife with a strange insignia carved onto the hilt.

Keith was sixteen or seventeen when he was released from the orphanage and left to fend for himself. He had moved into a small old house on the edge of farmland, with only one house a small hill away. He had just gotten settled for about two months or so, just forged a strange friendship with his neighbor, when he felt energy levels spike and looked outside to see a hole literally ripping itself into the sky. Out spiraled a spaceship- in _Earthling _design no less- which crashed into the ground miles away.__

__He didn't know what it was, or if it was friend or foe. Very rarely did an Earthling ship come to the Evervoid. He figured he'd stay until there were signs of a threat, but he couldn't help packing up most of his belonging just in case. It couldn't hurt, right?_ _

__A week or so later, he felt energy levels rise again, this time at his neighbor’s and poked his head in to investigate just in time for his neighbor to notice. Katie opened her mouth in surprise, shocked and she was about to say something when some sort of portal behind her exploded into action. The two of them tumbled through a strange world of lights and flashes before they landed somewhere decidedly... _different _. He only noticed how big everything seemed when his vision started to waver, and he passed out.___ _

____When Keith came to, he found himself in an Earthling home, trapped in the body of a six year old. Looking around, he saw that he was somehow, back in time- judging by the calendar, he'd say by ten years or so- and sat up on a couch. Further investigation and a wander led him to some sort of pen, lined with mats and filled with toys. A human, two or so, sat inside. Leaning on the pen, talking to another human was an older boy with glasses and light brown hair, one that called the small human a ‘sister’. Glancing back down to the child, he met her eyes, ones that were unmistakably that of Katie. Her two-year-old eyes glared at him, filled with rage, and as the reality of the situation crashed down on him he bit back a curse. Katie was so pissed._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Even by elvish standards, Katie was a prodigy. So growing up as a two year old on Earth (for the second time, no less- she'd already done so once in the Evervoid, and it was incredibly boring. This was the only part of the experiment she dreaded.) was, to say the least, horrible._ _ _ _

____The only thing that made it bearable was Keith, who faced a similar situation. She was still mad at him for following her, but supposed it wasn't really his fault. She was glad her adopted family was close to his, as it meant she often saw him. Over time though, she also grew attached to her human family, as well as Keith’s. His adopted brother, Shiro, and hers, Matt, had both gotten into the Garrison, where her adopted dad worked as a professor. It soon became her and Keith’s dream to get in as well, if not to see their family then to find somewhere where their abilities might actually be challenged. But she never forgot her real mission- to find and stop that spaceship from being sent to the Evervoid._ _ _ _

____Imagine her horror, then, when the spaceship was sent, and with Shiro, Matt, and her father in it to boot._ _ _ _

____That night, she made sure Keith received a link to the Garrison application forms. And a month later, the two of them exchanged grim smiles as they opened their congratulatory letters._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter!! I know Keith's and especially Pidge's POVs are very short, as well as this chapter in general, and I'm sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed it!!


	2. The Garrison and First Encounters

Keith was never that good with words or communication. In fact, some might even call him horrible at it. Case in point- the first day of Garrison training. He'd stuck with Katie- or Pidge, as she called herself- for as much as possible, but because they didn't share all their classes, he had to brave a few lessons on his own. For their talent class, they had been divided into Gifted and Learned, and they were matched with a mentor to hone their abilities. Keith was paired with another Hunk, who seemed nice enough, and their mentor was some older student he didn't know.

His Gift was similar enough to Hunk’s; both dealt with energy, though his was more general while Hunk focused more on the energy found in technology. But being Evervoid, Keith soon found that his knowledge and abilities surpassed that of Hunk’s and even his mentor. So while the mentor focused on Hunk, he was free to look around and observe. Some girls over to his left were experimenting with winds, pushing gentle breezes back and forth. Closer to him were a mixed group that played with fire- literally. The students took turns moving a small candle flame to a pile of twigs, which was doused by another group moving water. But to his right was a large contraption that Keith suspected was a sleep inducer. And he was right- the mentor was one of the famous Dreamers of the school, and sitting in the sleep inducer was a lanky boy with brown hair, helmet of the inducer strapped snugly on his head.

As Keith watched, the boy woke up and unstrapped his helmet, then proceeding to describe his dreams to his mentor. He saw the boy gesture to him, or maybe Hunk, before mimicking an explosion with his hands and saying something that made the mentor laugh. Keith gaped in awe as the small gadget Hunk had been working on promptly combusted, just as the boy had predicted. When class ended, Keith headed over to the boy and stuck out his hand awkwardly.

“Keith.”

The boy furrowed his brows in confusion. “What?”

Keith's cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

“My name,” he clarified. “Is Keith.”

“Oh!” The boy brightened up, and shook Keith’s hand enthusiastically. “Im Lance. I'm a Dreamer- or, well, a Dreamer-in-Training. You?”

“Kinetics and Energy Generation,” Keith said, and watched as Lance’s face fell in jealousy.

Something akin to fear shot through him, leaving a jumpy feeling in his stomach. This wasn't good; Lance seemed like a good friend to have, and he didn't want him to feel bad.

“I-uh, Dreamers are cool though!” He stammered, unsure what to say. He liked Lance and his cheerful personality, different as it was from his own. “And, you're like, really good, especially for a Learned.”

Keith cringed right as the words came out of his mouth, a repeating chorus of words he'd be punched for saying aloud ringing in his head. He wished he could stuff his words back into his mouth. But the damage had been done, and Lance narrowed his eyes at him.

“Thanks a lot,” Lance said, the slightest hints of a sneer appearing on his face. “And I suppose you're Gifted, then?”

Keith could only nod mutely, watching in dismay as a potential friend slipped through his fingers.

“I'm sorry,” Keith said weakly. “I- that wasn't the right thing to say, and-”

“No duh,” Lance snapped back. “Well, thanks for nothing.”

If only he wasn't so awkward. He spent the rest of the day silent, not eager to repeat the incident, until he met up with Pidge again.

A few days later, Keith found himself glancing to Lance more often, but not becauseog the incident. And now that he thought about it, he was never really good with feelings, either. This was going to be a long year.

“No duh,” Lance snapped at him. “Well, thanks for nothing.”

He whirled around, stalking over to where Hunk was further down the hall.

“What was that about?” Hunk asked. “You okay?”

Lance huffed, shaking his head. “He was nice, Hunk! He was nice, and also really cute, but nice, and I thought we could be friends, but he's one of those.”  
Hunk winced in sympathy. “Oh, yikes. What did he say?”

“He said I was good!” Lance said. “Especially for a Learned.”

Hunk’s nose wrinkled in slight disgust

“Well, did he apologize to you at least?”

“Yeah, but I didn't and I wouldn't accept it,” Lance declared. Anger and slight hurt still flowed, and he couldn't help it if he felt petty.

“I agree that it was mean of him, but if he apologized, and-”

“And half the time they don't mean it when they say sorry,” Lance countered. “Sorry, Hunk. But I can't forgive him. Not now.”

“Okay, consider this- maybe he was genuine,” Hunk said. “I mean- you know I'm not one to let people off easy, but Keith just doesn't seem like the type. Think about it, Lance.”

Lance stayed silent for the rest of the way to class, a small pout etched on his face. Forgiving Keith? Yeah, right.

 

It had been a slow month for Keith and Pidge, with no leads or information to aid them in their search. The two had done everything short of bribing an official for information, including hacking into the systems to find out more. (Keith was put on probation; the only reason he wasn't kicked out was because of his talent. And as for Pidge, well, they couldn't punish someone they couldn't catch could they?) But finally, help came in the form of one Lance McClain. As Keith and Pidge walked to their dorms, Keith overheard Lance talking to Hunk about a dream he had.

Keith motioned to Pidge, who whispered a dubious “can we trust him?”

Keith nods in affirmation before edging closer.

“How do we know it's related to the spaceship though?”

“Any paranormal activity is worth investigating,” Keith insists, and Pidge hums in response.

“Fair enough, I suppose.”

“Hunk, you would not believe what I dreamed about last night. There was this giant hole in the sky, and some weird meteor thingy fell out of it. There was so much energy, even I could sense it. And-”

Lance’s eyes narrowed as they caught sight of Keith.

_Shit._

__Keith swore internally, less angry about being noticed than not getting this lead._ _

__“What are you doing this close to me, Mullet? I'm a Learned, remember?”_ _

__“I'm sorry,” Keith repeated for what might have been the tenth time, but he knew Lance wouldn't acknowledge it._ _

__“Let me handle this,” Pidge murmurs lowly. “I got this. You go back to the dorms.”_ _

__Keith inclined his head slightly and headed away, hope thrumming in his heart._ _

__

__It was after midnight when Pidge returned with a wild look of triumph on her face._ _

__“Got it?” Keith confirmed, energy spreading through him at Pidge’s grin._ _

___I'm coming for you, Shiro. Wait for me. ____ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter!! Things might not make sense now but hopefully in a few chapters they will. Kudos/comments are appreciated, as is constructive criticism!!


	3. A Truce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a super super short chapter but it's sweet so *shrugs* enjoy??

Keith was ignoring his homework, not really paying attention to anything, really, when Pidge slammed a packet onto the table, shocking him back into reality.

“Okay, planning time,” Pidge declared. “First things first, gotta wait for everyone to arrive.”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “Pidge, when you say everyone-”

“You have to make sacrifices, Keith, if you want to get what you want.”

Keith snorted derisively. “And you think I don't understand that? But Pidge, I thought you’d might have the forethought to tell me about this before they come.”

He flung a hand towards the door right as Lance and Hunk entered, expression tightening even more when he recognized who they were.

“Hunk,” he greeted, voice strained. “Lance.”

Hunk waved back. Lance… Lance took one look at him and raised a dubious eyebrow.

“Oh, if it isn't the great and talented Keith Kogane. If I may be as bold to ask, what are you doing on Pidge's mission?”

“ _Our_ mission,” Pidge stressed. “Our, meaning Keith and mine. And our mission, our rules. We got your information; we don't need you here. If you went anyways, it'd be a shame if someone told the authorities, wouldn't it?”

Hunk spread his hands out in a placating gesture. “Hey, calm down, we come in peace.”

Hunk eyed Lance’s smirk. “Lance, you're not helping. If I have any say in this- and I hope I do, as I've done nothing to prove otherwise- then we're all going to get through this peacefully. Lance, give Keith another chance. Keith, same for you. We all have our own goals, I won't deny that. But whether or not they're the same, as long as we're on this team together, we're going to work together. Okay?”

“Thank you, Hunk.” Pidge slid into her seat, calm and graceful. “Now, we've already wasted an fifteen minutes of our lunch on this. If we're going to get anything done in time for tomorrow night, we're going to need to be more efficient.”

Keith marveled at Pidge’s ability to be derisive and commanding at the same time, seamlessly taking control without angering anyone.

“Okay. According to Lance’s information, the spacecraft will arrive at approximately eight. This gives us dinner to pack everything we need, be it food, gear, equipment, whatever. I expect us to be out of the complex by 7:15, meeting at here.”

Pidge jabbed a spot on the map of the school, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

“Any questions so far?”

“How are we going to stay undetected?” Lance asked, peering at the map. He seemed to have forgotten, or ignored, the earlier incident and was now immersed in planning their escape.

“I'm glad you asked.” Pidge’s grin was sharp and predatory as she wiggled her fingers. “I've hacked into their systems before and I can do it again. If the camera feeds are repeating from the past two hours, well, they wouldn't know, would they?”

“You're the hacker,” Lance said, voice filled with admiration. “Nice work.”

Pidge looked smug, but gestured to Keith as well. “Couldn't have done it without this guy. I needed a distraction, which is what he’s awesome at providing. This brings us to our next step- escape routes. Keith here, expert trap maker, is going to rig up a couple… explosives. Nothing too damaging, of course. But fireworks above the common grounds? If everyone’s heading there, we'll sweep in along with the crowd.”

Pidge rotated the map for easier visibility, spreading it out. “Here and here are places where we can split off the main crowd, and these side hallways should lead right to the crash site of the ship.

“The experimental labs?” Keith asked. “Are you sure that's where it'll land?”

“Are you doubting me?” Lance pushed himself up, leveling a glare and a pointed finger at Keith. “I'll have you know-”

“I don't doubt you,” Keith cut in. “It's just-”

Keith's mind whirled as he tried to remember everything from the Evervoid. He knew they had extensive maps of the Garrison, as it was one of the easiest places to open a portal.

“There's little to none open space near the labs. Assuming the spaceship is being sent deliberately, which seems likely- direct coordinates are needed to get here- why would they choose the labs? Why not the common grounds?”

“Good point,” Lance agreed reluctantly. “I… got nothing.”

Hunk raised his hand, brows furrowed in confusion. “So, I feel kinda stupid for asking this, but what exactly is it that we're looking for? What’s even the point of this whole thing?”

Keith and Pidge blinked at each other in surprise. This had been their first lead in such a long time, he wasn't even sure what he was going to do.

“We’ll investigate first,” Pidge declared. “The ship may have traces of the Evervoid on it, and we'll need to see what exactly it is that came down with it."

“Seems like we'll probably need a bit more information. So… why don't Hunk and I go to the library and do some research on the Evervoid?” Lance asked.

As agreeable as Lance had been, he seemed a little too eager to get away from him. Keith deflated internally, wondering how long it would be until they could reach some stage of friendship. Or would they have to suffer the entire mission like this? He knew that was one thing he wouldn't be looking forward to.

“No, let Hunk and I go,” Pidge interjected, and Keith widened his eyes at her.

 _Mission abort, Pidge, no mission freaking abort do you hear me?_ he screamed telepathically.

Pidge either didn't hear or didn't care, and Hunk seemed to agree to this, so he was left alone in his room with Lance.

Lance, to his credit, tried to appear as if he was studying the map, but Keith could see the looks that Lance snuck his way. Finally, the explosive silence was too much to bear and Keith opened his mouth to speak, to do anything that would cut through the tension.

“McClain.”

_Wrong. Wrong, bad, shut up. You sound condescending, this isn't going to help you. Take it back, take it back, take it-_

“Mullet.” Lance wasn't looking at him, but at least he had responded.

Keith blurted out the first thing in his mind, not sure what else to say.

“I'm sorry.”

_Not bad, Kogane. Could do better, but it's better than cursing at him or something._

“What?” Lance’s voice was cool, composed, indifferent.

Keith felt his heart sink, and sighed. “I said, I'm sorry.”

Lance looked at him, not angrily or annoyed, but somehow guarded.

“I know you said it, Keith. But do you mean it?”

Keith was so taken aback at Lance’s use of his actual name that he froze, not saying anything for a few seconds. It's only at Lance’s disappointed sigh and quiet ‘I knew it’ that Keith kicked himself back into motion.

“Yes, I swear I do! I mean, I've never been good down words, it’s- ugh, I, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to shift the blame off of me, but I- I didn't mean to make you feel inferior or anything. It's just that, you looked, I don't know, sad?” Keith rambled, trying to get his thoughts out coherently but failing. “So I tried to cheer you up, only it can out like an insult because, like I said, I'm horrible with words and Lance I swear I never meant to hurt you!”

Lance stared at him for a good or minute or two before nodding and clearing his throat.

“Okay.”

“O-okay? So that's it, you've forgiven me?”

“Yeah?” Lance looked confused, tilting his head to one side. “I mean, I just said I did. And- I was acting kinda petty for a few days, so it's not all your fault, I guess.”

“Oh,” Keith said quietly. “Uh, thanks.”

Lance shrugged, turning his body to face Keith more. “I mean, if you'd like to submit your apology in a three page essay detailing why exactly you're sorry and all that, it'd be acceptable too. For paper formatting and due dates, you can ask Hunk. Extensions must be asked for at least three days in advance and must be approved of by me, but otherwise you're free to write in any style you want.”

“I- _what_?”

Lance grinned crookedly and gave Keith a pat on the shoulder. “I'm joking, Kogane. Oh, and- I might have forgiven you, but I'm not ditching the nickname. Seriously, who wears a mullet in this day and age?”

Keith grumbled, but supposed it was worth it. At least Lance had forgiven him. Keith wasn't quite sure why (surely after months of cold indifference Lance wouldn't let the issue go so easily) but he wasn't going to question it.

But if Lance received a basket of his favorite chocolates the next day, who's to say it was him?

(It was totally him.)


	4. The End of the Beginning

Pidge was packing her bags the next day, ready and excited at the prospect of going home when Keith entered.

“Where'd you go?” Pidge asked.

“Had to make a delivery,” Keith responded vaguely.

“Oh,” Pidge said lightly. “Well, tell me if Lance likes his chocolates. They weren't easy to find.”

Keith plopped down on his bed, glaring at his roommate. “How the hell do you know everything?”

Pidge smiled, zipping her bag closed with an air of finality. “I have my ways. Hurry up and pack, Keith; you won't have time after this. Class starts in half an hour too, so be quick.”

Keith’s eyes almost bugged out. “Class?”

“Mmhm.” Pidge looked at Keith innocently. “Don't want those grades to drop, right?”

“You're kidding me,” Keith deadpanned.

Pidge raises an eyebrow as she slings the bag over her shoulder, standing up. “What?”

“We’re literally runaways from another reality who lied about our identities on legal documents. And now we're running away from school and our home to go back to said reality, and your biggest issue is a bad grade?”

“Kidding, Kogane,” Pidge laughed. “But seriously, pack. And you still gotta rig up that… surprise. I'm heading over to Hunk’s to check up on them. Don't be late to class.”

With that, Pidge left, and Keith was alone in the room. There wasn't much for him to pack, with only a few changes of clothes, some snacks, and his iPod as well as its charger. Within minutes, he was ready to go.

Sitting there on his bed, the situation and what he was planning to do crashed down around him, leaving him slightly nostalgic and sad. He didn't know why- sure, Earth and the Garrison had been where he lived for the past decade or so, but there wasn't much to miss about it. Sure, there was Shiro, but he'd been sent off into the other reality.

After all this thinking, he didn't feel like going to class. It wasn't that he was mentally drained or whatever, but heavy feelings sat in his chest, dragging him down. But it really was his last day, and he was tired. So, maybe, it shouldn't hurt too much if he just skipped, right?

He did only share one morning class with Pidge. And what Pidge didn't know, shouldn't hurt her.

 

Lance had lost track of time, only remembering when loud blasts and pounding feet sounded past his door.

He cursed, quickly grabbing his jacket, bag, and chocolates. He raced down the hallway, weaving in between the flood of equally curious and nervous students.

Lance had to admit that he, too, was slightly nervous. Partly because of what he was about to do, partly because these people were  _ so slow and he was late to the meeting time, hurry up _ ! Nervous, but also worried. Worried that, maybe, he wouldn't make it back. Or that whatever they found out there shouldn't be found.

But anticipation still cut through all the negative feelings, coupled with excitement because  _ holy shit _ , he was going to see something from the Evervoid!

He only hesitated a little before identifying the correct corridor, dashing down and meeting Pidge and Hunk at the end.

“There you are,” Pidge snapped worriedly. “Get in the shuttle. If Keith doesn't come in two minutes we are leaving.”

Lance slid into the shuttle, where Pidge was overriding the lockdown commands. Hunk was standing by the door, waiting for Keith. They were about to just leave when Keith skidded into the craft.

“About time,” Lance drawled teasingly. “Seven eighteen, Mullet. Three minutes late.”

“Iverson almost caught me,” Keith gasped out. “Sorry for the delay.”

The shuttle began its path to the experimental lab, whooshing noises and yellow lights occasionally breaking the tense silence.

“We're really doing this,” Hunk wondered. “Like, what if we're actually going to the Evervoid?”

“Questions for later,” Pidge murmured, half distracted. “Gotta focus on being undetected.”

When they reached the labs, officials are already swarming around a fallen craft.

“Too late,” Keith hissed. “What do we do?”

Pidge hefted a small device in her hand. “Be prepared, guys. Once I throw this, we run.”

After a silent countdown, Pidge threw the gadget and flew through the air, creating a bang and smoke. The four slipped through the confusion, managing to get into the spaceship. Lance grinned, but his smile was marred with slight dread. What was in that spaceship?

 

Keith ducked into the wreckage, scrambling around before he reached the cockpit. He spotted the pilot, a slumped over man with a gash on his head and some mechanical prosthetic attached to his right arm. As Keith got closer, to his dismay, he recognized him.

“Shiro,” Keith gasped.

He and Pidge exchanged shocked glances, before he rushed even closer to the unconscious man.

“Who-” Lance furrowed his eyebrows before sucking in a breath. 

“Takashi Shirogane,” he murmured. “Didn't he- wasn't he sent to the Evervoid?”

“This is bad,” Pidge declared. “I gotta go.”

“What?” Hunk sounded confused, and understandably so. “You're leaving us here?”

“N-not exactly.” Pidge looked nervous, backing away slowly. “Keith, you're in charge. You know what to do, yeah?”

Keith nodded, walking over to Shiro. He seemed unfazed by whatever had just happened, and Lance didn't understand  _ how _ . This was all so confusing, so strange, so foreign. How didn't he lose his head?

“-nce,  _ Lance _ .” He was jolted away from his thoughts by Keith calling his name. “I don't know if you've gone up to this in your training yet, but can you try slipping into Shiro’s mind?”

“He'd sense me,” Lance argued. “I haven't learned how to shield myself from being detected.”

“That's the point,” Keith replied. “We want to wake him up.”

Lance shot an odd look at Keith, but Pidge had left him in charge, so he did as asked. Closing his eyes, he felt around telepathically. He sensed Hunk’s mind, someone foreign- when he probed, it jolted away from him-  _ Sorry, Keith, _ he apologized. So that, that must be Shiro. The mind offered no resistance, blanketed under heavy drapes of unconsciousness.

_ Shiro _ , he tried calling.  _ Shiro? Takashi Shirogane. _

He was about to resort to more dangerous measures when the mind comes to life and shoves him out forcefully. He feels himself falling, fear wrapping sticky tendrils around him.

And when he opens his eyes, he’s falling, tipping over backwards. Hunk caught him, and he righted himself shakily. Keith is hovering over Shiro, peering at the older man worriedly.

“Shiro,” Keith said, voice sharp with nerves.

Shiro blinked blearily, but his eyes flew open once he seemed to recognize Keith.

“W-what? Keith? Am- I'm in Earth. Oh, this is bad.”

Shiro tried to sit up, but Keith pushed him back down gently.

“Hey, hey, Shiro, calm down. What’s wrong?”

“It worked,” Shiro whispered. “They wanted me out of there, they tried to send me away, and it worked.”

Shiro gazed up at Keith with panic in his eyes. “We have to go back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo things are getting exciting~ well, I hope. Onwards to the next chapter!! (Yes, I know this is a super short chapter. Do I really care? At this point, not really)


	5. The Evervoid

“We have to go back.”

Keith blinked at Shiro. Go… back? To the Evervoid?

“O-okay,” Keith agreed shakily.

It was going to be dangerous, but Shiro probably had a good reason for doing so, so he had to trust him. He had felt the energy levels rise a few minutes ago, which must have been Pidge opening a portal back to the Evervoid. And if Pidge went as well, then that just confirmed it- he had to go. He had to trust Shiro and Pidge.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Lance and Hunk. “I'm going back to the Evervoid. I know it's a lot to ask, so I'm not going to force you to come. In fact, feel free to go back. But-”

“I'm going,” Lance declared.

Hunk bit his lip nervously, but nodded. “I'm going too.”

Keith masked his surprise with a decisive nod. “Okay. I'm going to open a portal to the Evervoid, so I'll need you guys to lend me some energy.”

Lance blinked. “Wait, we're going  _ now _ ?”

“When else?” Keith asked.

Lance opened his mouth to respond, but then snapped it shut with a click and huffed.

Wordlessly, they joined hands, with Hunk and Keith placing a hand each on Shiro's shoulders. Keith ignored the feeling of Lance’s hand in his, concentrating on projecting energy into the center of the circle. As it grew, he felt Lance and Hunk add what energy they could to power the portal. His entire body buzzed, feeling like it might rip apart- too late, he wondered if he should have even attempted to do this- and then white yellow light consumed them and they were gone.

 

When Keith opened his eyes, drained and tired,he was in a long forgotten room, familiar but awkwardly strange at the same time. A glance around showed belongings of someone, another life, someone- then it hit him. This was his old house. He padded through the dusty halls, stifling a couple of sneezes before discovering Shiro in the guest bedroom. Lance and Hunk were passed out on the couch and armchair respectively, and Pidge sat at the small dining table, tapping away at her laptop.

“You're up,” she said, not even looking up at him.

“How did you know?”

Pidge smiled wryly at him. “You're going to have to be a bit more specific, Keith.”

“That we'd go to the Evervoid. And how you generated enough energy to make your own portal.”

Pidge paused her work to glance up at him. “Oh, you know us Olkari. A bit of a jack of all trades. A little bit Dreamer, a little bit Kinetitian, little bit of a tech wiz. Wasn't hard to piece everything together.”

Keith hummed, a questioning lilt to his voice. “And my old house?”

“You know mine is filled with tech, and we can't exactly announce our presence.”

Keith sat on his table to peer at Pidge’s work, drawing out a creak from the old table and a grimace from Pidge.

“Princess Allura?” Keith asked, surprised. “Why not message King Alfor? And what's this rift you're talking about?”

“Alfor is dead,” Pidge said flatly, but Keith could detect a tremor of grief in the Olkari’s voice. “As for the rift, Zarkon killed him. As well as the rest of the five.”

Keith sucked in a breath. “So-”

“Rift?” A voice asked blearily. “And who now?”

“I'm not explaining this more than once, Hunk, sorry,” Pidge said. “Wake up Lance first.”

One threaten to take away all chocolate later, Lance was up and staring grumpily at the three of them.

“What,” he yawned, “do you want?”

Keith opened his mouth, but then was cut off when Lance yelped in surprise.

“What the heck,  _ Pidge _ ? Why are you here? Didn't you leave?”

Pidge glanced bemusedly at him.

“That should be my question,” she replied. “And it's Katie, actually. I'm Evervoid; I'm an Olkari. But Pidge is fine, if that's what you're used to.”

Lance gaped, then shook his head. “ _ What?” _

“That's not what we woke you up for, though,” Hunk interjected. “So, uh, I'd pay attention to Keith.” 

“I'm assuming you didn't pay attention in History, so I'll give you a recap of the Evervoid.”

Lance began to glare at Keith, but sighed in defeat. “Fair enough.”

“So,” Keith began. “You know the major rule of the Evervoid that was imposed in the beginning to keep peace, right? Any conflict is reflected in the physical well being of the land.”

At everyone’s nod, Keith continued.

“And hopefully y'all-” Keith paused to shoot a look at Lance, who muffled a snicker. “Do you have a problem?”

Lance smirked, feigning nonchalance. “Nothing, please continue.”

“Anyway,” Keith continues hesitantly. “You should know the basics of Evervoid government. The five main leaders, one from each sector, make up central rule, Voltron. And apparently, according to what Pidge found…”

He has to take a deep breath to reorient himself before blurting out the next line: “Zarkon, one of the five, killed all the others.”

The four sat there in silence for what seemed like forever before a new voice calls out sadly.

“I see you've caught up on recent news,” Shiro sighed. “Th-they took me away from Matt and your dad, Pidge, and I was the only one who found out what happened with the rift, and what Zarkon was planning to do. They didn't want me around to spread the news, so they shipped me back to Earth.”

“What's he planning?” Lance asked curiously.

“Invasion,” Shiro said grimly. “He has a witch that keeps the news of the rift away from him. He believes he can take over all of the Evervoid, and then Earth.”

“Well, what did  _ you _ bring us here for?” Hunk asked. “Surely you didn't know about all of this.”

Pidge shook her head in answer.

“You're right. To give a brief explanation- I was originally from the Evervoid, but then I saw a spacecraft from Earth come to my realm. I, as any good citizen, knew there was no scheduled interaction between our realms, and became suspicious. So using tech, I built a portal-”

Keith narrowed his eyes slightly at Pidge, hoping she'd get the message. He didn't want the others to know he was Evervoid, not just yet. Pidge inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement before continuing, signaling that she understood.

“I used the portal to travel back in time to Earth, where I was a baby. And I took the form of Pidge, integrating myself into the Holt family. My goal was to find the spacrcraft, and stop it from being sent to the Evervoid. But despite my efforts, it was, bringing Shiro, Matt, and my father along with it. Keith and I enrolled in the Garrison with hopes of finding out more, and now here we are.”

“Thats’… wow.” Lance shook his head in disbelief. “I'm-”

“Save it,” Pidge advised. “I was communicating with Princess Allura of Altea, and she told me her people had been massacred by ‘Emperor’ Zarkon and the Galra.

Keith blanched, and Pidge shot him an empathetic look.

“The rift is widening as we speak,” Pidge continued, “and we’ll have to pull off something major to save the Evervoid. What’s most likely to happen-”

Pidge blinked back glistening moisture in her eyes, and so Keith finished for her.

“We leave without doing anything. And worst case scenario, we can't leave and we blow up with this place.”

Hunk’s eyes bulged almost comically wide.

“Wait wait wait,  _ blow up _ ? Whoever said anything about explosions?”

“The rift leaks energy,” Shiro explained. “The wider it opens, the harder it is for the shell of the Evervoid to contain the energy in its core. Once it opens too wide, it'll blow up the Evervoid and everyone in it.”

“What about Earth?” Lance asked quietly. “Wi-will my family be okay?”

“Should be,” Pidge confirmed. “The gap between our realities is too far.”

“We need to find out more if we're going to help,” Lance stated firmly.

“Help?” Pidge raised a dubious eyebrow. “It's much easier to cut our losses and go home.”

“You want your own realm to  _ die _ ?” Lance’s tone was incredulous as he gaped at her.

“No, of course not!” Pidge stood up, fists clenched. “I'm just being practical here.”

Lance huffed, ready to respond, but Keith pushed in between them.

“Matt,” he reminded Pidge. “And your dad. You want to find them, don't you?”

Pidge glared at him but settled back down into her seat, and Hunk guided Lance back to the couch.

“Now,” Keith began. “Planning. I think I could find some stuff out if i walk around near the markets and all. The rest of you could do research, and-”

“Why do  _ you _ get to have all the fun?” Lance asked, voice snarky and slightly petulant.

Keith shot Pidge a look, asking for help.

_ Figure out by self _ , she transmitted, and the transmission was shaky but the message clear.

“Trust me, okay?” Keith pleaded. “I- you can talk to the, to Allura!”

Pidge glared at Keith, but it seems to satisfy Lance. Keith grabbed his knife off a hook on the wall and is about to set off, to revisit the Evervoid  but a strangely strong arm grabbed his shirt collar and tugged him backwards.

“Wait just a bit, Keith.” Pidge smiled but her eyes bore daggers into him. “We've still got logistics to discuss.”

Keith sighed, but sat down.

 

The ‘planning’ didn't end until two hours later, and by then night had fallen. Everyone forced Keith then to stay home, saying it was too dangerous for him to be out and about at night.

Keith resolved to never again get on Pidge's bad side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so in case anyone's confused, they all went to the Evervoid. Hunk, Shiro, Lance, and Keith traveled when Keith opened up a portal, and Pidge traveled before they did with an energy generating device that she carried (the energy she used to create the portal was the one that Keith sensed). Hope that clears up some things!


	6. The Blade of Marmora

It was a little before noon when Keith was finally allowed to go, being delayed by the group breakfast that Hunk insisted on having. Keith did have to admit that eating did give him more energy, and Hunk had whipped up some borrowed food into something actually delicious. Hunk had also regaled them with a tale in which he was briefly forced into servitude while getting food. He warned Keith to be careful around a restaurant owner called Sal, who owned a booth named Vrepit Sal’s.

“Seriously, Keith,” Hunk warned. “His samples are to die for, but they're not worth a lifetime of enslavement.”

Keith's lips twitched upwards briefly before nodding. “Noted, Hunk. Anything else?”

Hunk tilted his head in consideration before his face lit up. “Oh yeah! These people- super secretive, had masks and hoods and everything- were being really shady. They were spread out all around the market, and were delivering what I think are some secret messages. Be careful, alright, Keith?”

Keith inclined his head at the remaining four in his house before opening the door.

“Don't trash my stuff,” he said. “Pidge, you're in charge.”

The Olkari grinned smugly as Shiro put a hand to his chest in mock betrayal. Giving them a salute, Keith was about to leave when Pidge ran over, giving him an uncharacteristically tight hug.

“If you need help,” she whispered, and he didn't understand what she meant until he felt a small weight drop into his pocket.

“Thanks, Pidge.”

Keith didn't have a hood with which to conceal himself, so he kept his face low and his knife tucked in an accessible place wandered around.

The market was just where it had been before he left, and the familiar paths weren't hard to find as he made his way around. When Keith arrived, he immediately spotted the strange people who Hunk had talked about. They were indeed acting shady, with masks that made it hard to tell what they were looking at or saying.

He was walking around the marketplace for a few minutes, pretending to observe the wares that shopkeepers offered. Things seemed normal enough, but he still forced himself to be on high alert. In the back of his head, a little voice whispered that something was going to go wrong. Dread began to pool in his stomach, only growing when he began to detect the presence of a person following him.

After a few more minutes, it was clear that he was being trailed, and not long after that, he was stopped by a figure.

“Allow me to scan your face,” they said, voice sounding slightly robotic.

Keith froze. If they scanned him, they'd recognize that he’d been missing, that he’d skipped in time. He couldn’t- _wouldn't_ \- let them do that.

“I”m sorry, I can’t let you do that,” he replied evenly. “Please let me leave.”

“Allow me to scan your face,” they repeated, their voice more insistent.

Keith wraps his fingers around his knife.

“Let me leave.”

If they didn’t budge, he’d have no qualms about drawing on the stranger. The stranger seemed to tap a button, and within seconds more of the weird people have surrounded him. Determination tinged with sour fear coursed through him, and his fingers itched to fold around his knife.

Keith narrowed his eyes as the original stranger, testing to see if there would be a reaction before drawing his knife.

“You’ve left me with no option,” he replied.

Charging forward, he expected the stranger to draw a weapon and engage, but instead they recoil back in shock.

“A spy,” Keith heard someone say, and stopped, confused.

Spy? He hadn’t done anything. He only gripped the knife harder as the people surrounding him grew tenser. He felt trapped, felt restrained. He wanted to go, the blood singing in his veins and begging him to flee. He spun around warily, watching the strangers. They murmured to each other in a seemingly harmless fashion, but closed the circle around him.

“Sorry,” the first stranger said, and then a black bag was pulled over his face. Keith clawed at it, but his hands were restrained and shoved into his pockets. The last thing that he did was to press the distress signal Pidge had given him, and then all went dark.

 

As soon as Keith had stepped out the door, Lance stood up from his chair and put on his jacket, heading for the door as well.

“Where are you going?” Pidge asked. “Let Keith go on his little solo mission.”

“I'd be happy to,” Lance replied, tugging on a boot, “if he wasn't going to get kidnapped by that weird group Hunk mentioned.”

Shiro shot up from his chair. “Kidnapped? And you let him go?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “You know Keith. If you tried to stop him, he'd protest more.”

“Besides,” he added. “My dreams only cover one reality, and that’s in which we let him go. If we stopped him, we'd be unprepared for what might happen.”

He put his foot in his other shoe and then stood up, raising an eyebrow at the rest of them. “Well, are you guys coming or not?”

Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro looked at each other.

“I, for one, think we should,” Hunk offered. “I mean, what's the harm?”

“Fair enough,” Pidge sighed, and so the four of them left the house for the marketplace.

The marketplace was just in sight when a soft buzzing noise filled the air, causing Pidge to startle.

“Keith activated the distress signal,” she swore. “Hurry. We gotta find him.”

It was Lance who first saw Keith being pulled away by the group of masked people at the other edge of the square. The four quickly hurried over just in time for the people to jump in some space pods and speed off.

The one carrying Keith went the fastest, but they were all slow enough for Hunk, Pidge, Lance, and Shiro to jump onto one pod each.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” Hunk wondered, wincing as his pod lurched uncomfortably.

Lance shrugged, clinging on tightly to his pod. He agreed with Hunk; not knowing what would happen left a bitter taste in his mouth, and his stomach roiled nervously. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, keeping his thoughts to himself. He was about to speak up, the silence beginning to feel oppressive, when the pods stopped in the middle of a foresty area. Lasers popped out of some trees, roaming over them with a prickly but not uncomfortable sensation. After a moment of pause, the pods were allowed to enter, with the four of them still perched on top of them.

“Impossible,” Pidge whispered uneasily. “They should've caught us. Those sensors are very high quality, designed to find even the smallest bump.”

“Maybe we got lucky,” Lance offered weakly. “I mean, it's always possible that we did.”

“I don't think so,” Pidge said grimly. “Be prepared for a trap.”

The pods descended down a long shaft, getting darker as they went. Soon, light was only a pinprick at the top, and after a while even that was gone. There was absolutely no difference between opening his eyes and closing them, a fact that made Lance uncomfortable. It was a few more minutes before the pods seemed to touch some sort of bottom, and then some mechanical contraptions whirred. Bright white lights lit up the room that they were in, and to Lance’s surprise, there was only one strange person standing there, mask and hood on.

“Why are you here?” they asked. “What business do you have with us?”

“We're here for the captive,” Lance said, inclining his head at Keith.

Keith was was being led out of a pod, straining against some handcuffs placed on him and shifting back and forth.

The person glanced at Keith, then back to Lance.

“I'm sorry,” they said, and they seemed to be genuine. “But you cannot have your friend back just yet.”

“What did he do?” Hunk asked. “Why have you taken him?”

“He is either a spy or a thief,” the person said. “The blade he has- that is one of ours, yet _he_ is not one of ours. We must investigate.”

“Wait, the knife? He's had that for as long as I can remember,” Pidge countered. “I don't think he stole it from anyone.”

The person’s eyebrows seemed to rise, and he turned to face some of the other people. They hold what seemed to be a telepathic debate, before the first person raised his hand out to Pidge.

“If I may,” he said, “would you allow me if examine your memories?”

Pidge narrowed her eyes at them. “Only that specific memory.”

“Of course,” they promised. “You have the word of the Blade.”

“The Blade?” Lance echoed. “What cult thing are you guys part of?”

“Let’s maybe, um, _not_ say that to their face?” Pidge whispered dryly, but the person laughed.

“If all goes well, and your friend proves to be an ally, you will soon know,” the person reassured. “My name, if the knowledge of such offers you any comfort, is Thace.”

Thace reached out towards Pidge's head, waiting for her nod before making contact. Lance watched anxiously as the memory transferred, hoping nothing would go wrong.  He breathed a sigh of relief when it was over and Pidge opened her eyes.

“I hope that's enough evidence?” Pidge asked, rubbing her eyes.

“On your part, yes,” Thace confirmed. “But we need your friend’s confirmation that you are who you claim to be.”

When Lance looked at Keith, he saw that though the bag had been taken off his head, he was still being restrained by two members of the Blade.

“Keith!” Lance called. “You okay?”

Keith grumbled, a sullen expression on his face, but nods.

“Keith,” Thace said, the word sounding foreign in his voice. “What is your relationship to these people? Would you trust them?”

“They're my friends,” Keith said flatly. “Now would _let me go_?”

“If you wished to,” Thace replied, bowing his head. “But we have more information on the current… situation, if you'd like.”

“We'll take it,” Pidge declared. “What do you have?”

“Why should we give it?” another Blade grumbled. “Why should we trust you?”

“Oh, please, we can't be more dangerous than Zarkon,” Pidge snapped. “If you want to win whatever you're planning, you'll need help.”

“And we'll need yours,” Hunk added, trying to placate them. “So if we could, you know, work together, that'd be nice.”

“You probably don't know the full story, if you're Earthlings,” Thace sighed. “Come with me. This will take a while.”

 

Pidge was buzzing with energy as she followed Thace down a series of hallways that led to a conference room.

“Sit down, everyone,” Thace invited, gesturing to the chairs.

“Spinny chairs!” Lance cried, and skidded into one of them, using his momentum to spin himself around.

Keith quirked a smile at him before taking a seat as well. Pidge quickly moved to take a chair, leaving him with the one closest to Lance. Keith wrinkled his nose at her, but couldn't hide the faint flush that appeared for a few seconds.

Thace cleared his throat from across the table, gathering everyone’s attention.

“First,” he said, “a proper introduction is long overdue. We are the Blade of Marmora, an undercover rebel group founded and designed to take down the corrupt government and restore peace. These are my fellow leaders, Kolivan and Ulaz.”

The two Blades mentioned inclined their heads at them in greeting.

“We apologize for taking you,” Kolivan said. “The blade you drew was one of ours, and since you had no other distinct markings of being one of us, we could only suspect that you were a spy.”

Keith nodded in acceptance. “But that's not important. What about Zarkon?”

Ulaz sighed, pursing his lips. “The situation is… complicated, to say the least. You see, the thing about this is, most people do not accept Zarkon’s rule of tyranny. His fighting force remains ever loyal, because of the threats that he imposed, but the people are discontent. Even within his Empire’s government, there are seeds of doubt. We've received word that the prince, Lotor, has gone rogue and is not trusted by Zarkon. But at the same time, we are not sure what his motives are or if  _ we _ can trust him.”

“Zarkon’s witch, Haggar, is also unreliable,” Kolivan added. “She appears to be loyal, but at the same time, hides news of the rift from Zarkon. There are several possible reasons for this- either she cares only for the power and, knowing that the rift may stop Zarkon’s conquering, decided to keep it secret. Or, she is plotting against Zarkon, and wishes to use information of the rift as blackmail. A third and highly unlikely option is that she does not see the rift as a source of potential danger.”

“All of those seem highly unlikely,” Pidge noted. “I don't think she's the patriotic type or the type to betray Zarkon. She's conniving and witty, and would probably use her connection to Zarkon as a source of power. Betraying him would only lead to chaos and possibly death for her. And as you said, the third is highly unlikely. She's wise, and ignoring the rift would do her no good.”

“Precisely, young Olkari,” Thrace agreed. “But there is an advantage we have: the people under Zarkon’s rule. Many are furious over the crimes he committed and his fierce oppression. Zarkon’s only hold on the people is made of fear. Give them a reason to rise up, and they will fight.”

“Isn't that dangerous?” Hunk asked. “If the rift is already as volatile as you say, won't rebellion only make it worse?”

“That is why we have been hesitant to act,” Ulaz said. “That, and our lack of support. If we tried to fight now, we'd be crushed.”

“Allura,” Lance suddenly said.

“The Altean princess?” A Blade murmured. “What of her?”

“She died along with her father, losing the key to Voltron,” Kolivan argued. “There's no point talking of what could have been. We need to focus on what we can do now.”

“I'm not so sure,” Pidge countered. “Here-”

Pidge tapped a bit on her laptop before getting it to project the image of her screen in the air.

“Call Princess Allura of Altea,” she announced, and the screen flashed black for a few moments before coming to life, this time with Allura’s face on it.

“Allura,” Pidge greeted. “It's lovely to see you again. How are things at the castle right now?”

“Coran has set the castle to orbit,” the princess reported. “It's much safer up there, and a lot harder to be spotted. How are things on your end? Everything alright?”

“We've met up with the Blade of Marmora,” Pidge said. “They're a rebel group who-”

Allura’s expression turned cold. “How do you know we can trust them?”

Pidge paused, confused. “What? Why wouldn't we? Nothing's happened to us, and they seem to be trustworthy.”

“You trust too easily,” Allura said. “You have to be careful, Pidge.”

Pidge frowned. “Allura, don't jump to conclusions so easily. True, I'm not a hundred percent sure about the blades, but you don't have a reason not to.”

Allura’s face went blank, with no emotion easily seen. “I'm sorry, Pidge. But until you receive absolute confirmation that they can be trusted, this is goodbye.”

The projection froze, winking shut. Silence followed as everyone processed the recent events. Pidge felt numb, frustrated and confused as to  _ why _ Allura had refused. Surely she out of everyone would see the importance of having allies to defeat Zarkon. Finally, Thace cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Well. Ah, we're not getting help from the princess soon, it seems,” he noted. “But anyways, we still need to plan out what to do. You're here, so we might as well take advantage of it.”

Pidge only half paid attention to the planning session, knowing she could always ask someone later.  Instead, her thoughts were to Allura, hoping that the princess would come to see the Blades in a better light. Pidge hoped she would; the Altean princess would be a useful ally to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun... O.o


	7. A Turn of Events

Allura ended the call with a decisive tap, huffing. Her thoughts were running rampant as she relieved the events of the last minute or so. She couldn't believe Pidge could trusted them. Given, Pidge hadn't experienced what she had, but-

“That was a rash decision, princess,” Coran commented. “Why will you not trust them?”

“Galra, the lot of them,” Allura snapped, whipping around. “How _ could _ you trust them?”

Coran sighed, rubbing his eyes. He took a seat next to her, and she felt a little more comfort just because of his presence.

“Allura, I am so sorry for you,” Coran said sadly. “You have been through so, so, much-”

“Coran, I'm not here for your pity,” Allura said firmly, annoyance and slight anger flaring up at his words. “I understand you've been through everything I have and more, but this has nothing to do with the problem and, in my opinion, is totally uncalled for.”

This only seemed to prove Coran’s point.

“Allura, you've forgotten how to trust,” Coran pointed out. “You're isolating yourself, putting up walls. Not that I blame you, of course.”

Coran hesitated, seeming to think for a bit before placing a hand on Allura’s shoulder.

“All I'm trying to say is- I would trust the Blades. They seem like good people, and I think they would be beneficial towards defeating Zarkon,” Coran advised. “After all, you trusted Pidge, right? How different is she from the Blades?”

Allura stared dumbfoundedly at the advisor.

“She- she's not  _ Galra _ !” Allura cried, and it was then that she realized Coran’s message.

Her previous words seemed to slam into her chest, rendering her speechless. It took her a few minutes to recover, and even then, all she could offer was a small, defeated ‘oh’.

Coran smiled sadly, standing up. “Oh, indeed. I understand that this is a hard decision, so I'll give you some time. But please, Allura, think it over. Reconsider.”

With that, Coran exited the room, leaving Allura there to consider her next actions.

She didn't get much sleep that night, but by the next morning, she had made a decision. And when she bumped into Coran on the way to send a message the next morning, she was offered a proud smile.

 

 

Later, when Hunk was asked about the days leading up to the attack, he'd truthfully say that he didn't remember. It was a whirlwind of planning and trips to recruit more supporters for the rebellion. They'd chosen to ignore the danger that the rift posed and hoped for the best, sacrificing that for a chance at freedom.

The first memorable day was the one they'd all been woken up by a call, one from Princess Allura herself. She had apologized for her harsh words and offered an alliance, one readily and gratefully accepted by the Blade of Marmora. She still refused invitations to come down to their base, however, and no one knew if it was because of distrust or fear of revealing her survival to the public.

As the days passed, more and more communities were marked as allies, and Lance and Keith trained together more. Peeks inside their training room revealed anything from thumb wrestling to hand to hand combat. It was nice to see his friend get closer to Keith.

But though Hunk knew the work he did was important, he couldn't help but find the repetitive days mundane.

That is, until Pidge returned from a recruitment trip with an extra- her brother, Matt. He revealed that he after his arrival at the Evervoid, a rebel group had attacked the base where he was held and freed him. He joined the group soon after, and was out on a scouting mission when Pidge found him. Upon contact, this group was also willing to give their support to the rebellion. This new alliance gave them all more hope, and Hunk was grateful for the high spirits that Matt’s arrival brought.

Shortly after the alliance with the rebels was confirmed, the attack date was set- next week. This announcement made everyone nervous, and though Hunk knew what he was supposed to do, he couldn't stop the waves of panicky anticipation from hitting him. It didn't help that everyone else was more jumpy and high-strung than usual, and Hunk felt their behavior only make his more nervous.

At one point, Hunk and his friends were all invited up to the castle to pick out weapons and armor in preparation for the upcoming battle. He was grateful for Allura’s thoughtfulness as well as the protection that the armor offered, but the event only cemented the reality of the situation even more for him.

 

“Have you ever thought about what we’re going to do? Like,  _ really  _ thought about it?” Hunk asked, mind troubled.

The silent ride to the Altean castle, coupled with his doubts, was too much to bear and Hunk had to ease his fears somehow.

“What do you mean?” Lance asked.

Hunk hummed as he considered ways to phrase his thoughts coherently, finally coming up with an answer.

“I mean, all of this is just so  _ wow _ . A couple weeks ago, our biggest problem was your crush on Kei-”

“Shush!” Lance quieted Hunk, voice slightly shrill with nerves. “He'll hear you.”

Hunk glanced over to Keith, who was staring off into the distance and rolled his eyes.

“He won't,” Hunk said dryly. “But anyways. I guess what I'm trying to say is-

"A few weeks ago, we were normal students at a... relatively normal school. Maybe we'd be worried about crushes, or a pop quiz in History. But fast forward to now, and now we're about to  _ make _ history. And, to top it all off, we might not even... survive this whole thing!”

Lance was silent for a few seconds before he finally muttered a small ‘wow’.

“I didn't think about that,” Lance admitted. “Everything passed by so quickly, so fast, I didn't even realize what had gone on. It's all like a dream, or some game, really.”

“I'm scared, Lance,” Hunk confessed. “I- I'm scared, and I want to go home. But at the same time, I really really want to help these people. I'm so confused, and I don't know if I'll be ready, and- I don't want to die.”

“I don't think any of us do,” Lance pointed out. “But- that's life, isn't it? Here, uh, think about it this way. If we could do everything all over again, would you regret anything?”

Hunk hesitated. “Actually, yeah. I don't mind doing this if I have to, but I- I don't want glory, Lance. Not like you do. I just want to have a simple, happy, life.”

“Are you calling me vain?” Lance joked, but then he sobered up quickly. “And though I do get what you mean, there's no going back now. We just have to make the best of the situation. And, uh, if it makes you feel any better, I'm here for you, buddy. We're all here for you. ”

Hunk smiled gratefully at his best friend. "Thanks, Lance. That... actually kind of helped."

Hunk’s fears hadn't really gone away, but they somehow didn't quite matter as much anymore. Leaning back in his seat, he looked out the window as the ship continued its ascent upwards.

 

 

Keith wanted to just use his knife. He saw neither the reason or the point in using another weapon. He was used to this knife and could fight better with it, he had argued. But when the subject of practicality was brought up, he had to concede to the fact that a sword would be more useful, having a longer range.

So, with that in mind and a small scowl on his face, Keith entered the armory. He didn't really know what exactly he expected from the Alteans, who had far more advanced technology than that of Earth. Some fancy machinery, maybe, or special weapons. But certainly not a single shelf with four arrow shaped objects that were called ‘bayards’.

“I normally wouldn't let you use these,” Allura began, “but we don't have any other options. Please be careful, as these were the weapons of the members of Voltron. However, I believe they should serve you well.”

Pidge peered at a small green bayard, picking it up in her hands. She turned it over, inspecting it, and seemed to discover a button. She pressed it, causing it to morph into a taser with a retractable cord.

“How do these work?” She asked, impressed.

Allura launched into some lengthy explanation that Keith didn't pay much attention to, opting instead to take a bayard for himself. Selecting a red one that fit well in his hands, he closed his fist around it tightly and was surprised to see it extend into a sword. It was unusually well balanced, seemingly custom made for him. Practicing a few thrusts and swipes, he was pleased to see that he fought well with this 'bayard'. Looking around, he saw that Hunk had received a cannon-like gun, and Lance’s bayard had transformed into a more portable rifle.

He opened his mouth, about to ask about Shiro's bayard when Allura addressed the topic herself.

“I'm sorry, Shiro; the fifth and final bayard was taken and kept by Zarkon. However, I think your, ah, arm should be functional enough as a weapon, should you need to use it.”

They were soon after led to another section of the armory, where sets of armor were brought out for them. When Keith put it on, it felt ever so slightly constricting, but it was perfectly functional protective and somehow light as well, so he couldn't complain. After getting over the initial discomfort, he was surprised to see that fighting on the armor was incredibly comfortable.

“It's great armor, isn't it,” Allura commented. Her smile was bittersweet, and she sighed as her gaze fell. “Altea was incredibly advanced, and from a historical standpoint and not mine it was such a loss. We- they- could have been so great.”

“Uh, I'm sorry,” Keith said awkwardly.

Allura grimaced, waving a hand at him. “No need to apologize. I-”

They were all startled by the siren that rang through the halls, the shrill noise causing them to jump in shock.

“It’s the ringtone I set for the Blade of Marmora,” Allura shouted in explanation as she ran out of the armory and down the hall. “Follow me; it must be important since this wasn’t a pre-scheduled call.”

Keith ran down the hallway after Allura and his friends fairly quickly, considering the extensive armor he was wearing. They all stumbled in a disorganized fashion into the control room, hurriedly righting themselves as Allura pressed the button to accept the call.

“Hello.” Allura’s greeting was slightly breathless as she composed herself, smoothing a few hairs into place. “Is everything alright?”

“A change of plans, Princess,” Thace reported. “Our apologies for not alerting you of this sooner, but we just received word from rebel forces that the Empire is planning their next attack tomorrow. Our best chance to strike would be now, and so we will head into battle in an hour. Again, we apologize for not telling you earlier. We hope you have enough time to prepare everything by then, and we wish you all the luck.”

A loud crash sounded in the background, and Thace winced.

“I am, uh, needed elsewhere,” Thace said. “Please excuse me. I’ll see you later.”

And with that, the call ended, leaving everyone in a more panicked state than before. Things had just taken a huge turn for the worse.


	8. Secrets

Lance was buzzing with energy and a mix of anticipation as well as dread as everyone got ready for the upcoming battle. The news about the attack had clearly shocked everyone, and reactions ranged from a near breakdown (Hunk) to a mad dash to the nearest training room (Keith) to furious typing and blank stares (Pidge and Shiro). As a result, no one noticed when Lance randomly fell asleep.

Not that he chose to, of course. But hey, he didn't choose to be a Dreamer, either.

When Lance woke up, he had strange memories of a play-by-play dream of the upcoming battle, and it didn't take long for him to realize it was one of his Dreams. Scrambling over to Allura, who was sending the message to other groups, he tapped her on the shoulder and said, ‘help’.

“Are… you okay?” Allura asked cautiously, eyes scanning his face for any signs of damage or harm.

“I had a dream about the war and I need to record it or write it down now,” Lance blurted out, tapping his fingers against his thigh nervously.

Allura's eyes widened in understanding.

“Follow me,” she ordered, and hurried out of the control room.

Lance tried not to worry too much as he followed the princess, but he still felt bits and pieces of the dream slipping away from him. Was it his worry that was causing this forgetfulness, or just because he wasn't physically capable of remembering? Or did-

He was interrupted when Allura pressed a cold probe to his forehead. It was attached to some white mound on the floor, with wires that crisscrossed all over the place.

“Think,” Allura said. “Try to play back the dream. This device will record everything.”

Lance nodded nervously, closing his eyes and slipping back into the memory. When he was done, he opened his eyes to see Allura detaching the probe from his head.  
Placing her hands on top of the mound, both she and it began to glow and a projection popped up- but this time of Lance’s dream.

The two watched the projection play, observing what happened. Allura’s mouth kept twitching, though Lance didn't know why. When it finished, Allura turned it off with a click and faced Lance with a wry smile.

“You like him, don't you?” Allura asked. “Keith, I mean.”

Lance’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, waving his hands in exaggerated motions.

“Wh- ha, no, of course not!” He laughed weakly, a worried smile on his face. “Why would you ever think such a, um, preposterous thing?”

“Lance,” Allura said dryly. “Every other minute of your dream was focused on Keith. And Dreamers often dream about what matters or is important to them. See anything that seems to match up?”

“Don't tell him,” was all Lance managed to groan.

Allura smiled, bright and slightly dangerous. “Oh, I wouldn't dare.”

Her smile disappeared as she began to walk out the room, glancing back to Lance in earnest.

“Seriously, though, Lance, this has been a great help. At least least we know there is one reality in which we win, and we know what basically is going to happen. All of our forces are indebted to you.”

Lance blushed at the praise. “Oh, I wouldn't say that, but, uh, thanks.”

Suddenly, with a crackle, the speakers turned on and Coran made an announcement.

“Pods to the surface are being loaded now! If you aren't at the docking bay yet, please head there now!”

“Yikes, gotta go!” Lance called, dashing out of the door.

And if he had to return ten seconds later with a sheepish smile to ask for directions… well, no one needed to know about that.

 

Lance had just carmed himself down, had just gotten settled in the small camouflaged house when they were given the five minute alert.

His heartbeat started to race, blood roaring in his ears as nervousness settled in his bones.

"Lance, you okay?" Keith asked, but his voice was muffled and dim to Lance's ears.

"Hunk was right," Lance fretted. "We're not ready for this.  _I'm_ not ready for this. I don't know about you, but we're fighting a _war_  and I am not ready. The Galra, they're vicious, and scary, and-"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't generalize them like that," Keith murmured, gaze distant.

"Okay, yes, so the Blades are the good Galra. And maybe the commoners are fine too. But all the other ones are bad!"

"Including me?"

Lance blinked. "Y-you? What do you have to do with the Galra?"

Keith sighed. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Maybe it's because I don't want us to form a, um, friendship, only to break it because of me.

"You see, I'm-" Keith squeezed his eyes shut, inhaling deeply. "I'm part Galra."

 _I'm part Galra. I. Am. Part. Galra._ Keith's words slammed into his chest, loaded and heavy and dangerous.

"Y-you?" Lance stuttered. "Part-Galra?"

Keith's expression flattened into a cold, guarded gaze. "Is that a problem?"

"I, uh, how'd you find out?" Lance said, dodging the question and trying not to upset Keith.

"My knife," Keith explained. "Apparently, if I wasn't Galra, it wouldn't work for me. And, well, it does."

"Okay," Lance said slowly. "So, how do you feel about this, this... discovery?"

"How do you _want_ me to feel, Lance?" Keith snapped, voice cracking slightly. "I found out that I'm part of the people who slaughtered and enslaved entire nations just because of some sick, twisted sense of narcissism. Then tell me, since you have your dreams, what am I supposed to feel?"

Lance winced, realizing the error in his question. "Yeah, that was a bad question. I- I'm sorry about that. But... to be honest? Why does being Galra _matter_ to you?"

"Excuse me?" Keith asked, incredulous and slightly angry. "Are you seriously asking me why I care about being part of a group that-"

"No, no, no." Lance cut Keith off hurriedly. "I mean- do you want your being Galra to be a big, deciding factor in your life?"

"No, of course not," Keith said.

"Then it shouldn't matter," Lance said simply. "I mean, it's just another adjective, right? Like, like how tall you are- or rather, how short," Lance said.

Keith grumbled, but he was looking a little happier, to Lance's relief.

"Wow, thanks, Lance," Keith drawled. "Next, you're going to insult my hair."

Lance grinned. "Your hair! Another perfect example. I don't treat you differently even though you have a horrible, disgusting haircut. So why should I just because you're related to some purple aliens who may or may not be interested in the, uh, art of... war?"

"It's really not that simple," Keith argued, but there was a faint smile on his face, which softened as he thanked Lance.

They were interrupted by Kolivan, who popped his head into the room they were sitting in. The Blades leader had a disgruntled expression on his face, betraying his worry and tension.

"Keith, Lance," he addressed. "You are needed in your positions. Please hurry; we have less than two minutes."

Lance and Keith glanced at each other, exchanging strained smiles.

"You feeling better now?" Keith asked, walking out of the door.

"Kinda," Lance hedged, following Keith out.

"If it helps," Keith offered, a slight blush coating his cheeks, "I'll have your back."

Lance felt himself blush slightly, grinning at Keith.

"And I've got yours," he promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried to sneak a little supportive Klance in there :)  
> If you're still here thank you SO MUCH FOR READING. Constructive criticism, comments, and kudos will be greatly appreciated!!


	9. Zarkon's Army Gets Wrecked

Knowing what was going to happen because of his dream was extremely reassuring, and as time progressed Lance found his shots getting faster and more accurate. The energy rifle lacked the rebounding shock that came with Earth rifles, which threw him off a bit, but he got over it quickly.

Time and time again, he was able to predict certain events, allowing him to deflect nasty hits and fatal shots. But this was not the case, when he and Keith were backed up into an alley. He'd forgotten about it this part of the dream, he'd let it happen, even though he knew it was coming, and now they might not make it out.

“Keith,” Lance gasped, “I'm sorry. I'm really sorry that I got us into this, and I swear I'll try my hardest to get is out of here, but if we don't-”

“Shut up, McClain,” Keith growled. “Save your breath for fighting.

Lance paced around the small alley, not comfortable with the idea of staying in this dangerous place and not doing anything.

“Maybe we should run for it,” he suggested, running out of ideas.

“Are you stupid?” Keith hissed, taking a cautious peek out of the alleyway. “If we run to our right, we'll bump right back into the group that followed us here. And to our left, there are more forces that will find us and we'll have to fight them and the ones tracking us.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Lance muttered. “You broke your communication device, and the hit that clipped me dried mine to bits.”

“Fight our way out?”

He shot Keith a dry look, who responded with a frustrated ‘what?’

“Look, Lance, this is our only option. It's our only chance of maybe surviving, so-”

“An entire squadron,” Lance bit out. “At least seventy five droids, maybe a hundred. You want to fight all of them?”

Keith offered no response, stubbornly choosing to stay silent. This left Lance to pass the time in his own way, and so he examined his surroundings. Guns were no good in close proximity like this, but….

“Keith, boost me up,” Lance ordered.  
“Bo- what? What's on the roofs?” Keith asked, rubbing the hilt of his sword anxiously. “Lance, they're coming, and-”

“You have a sword, Keith,” Lance snapped, tension affecting his words more than anger. “I don’t; I have a gun and two of those bombs that Pidge gave me. Now please, get me to the roofs.”

Keith sucked in a quick breath as he understood and knelt down on the floor, discarding his bayard to one side as he laced his fingers together.

Lance hurled his bayard up onto the roof a few feet above his head before stepping into Keith’s hands, holding on to his shoulder for support.

“Ready?” Lance asked, gazing down at Keith.

At the other boy’s nod, Lance counted down quietly, and at ‘one’, Lance was launched into the air. He came down on the roof a little hard, and his shoulder might've bruised, but nothing felt too damaged.

From this new vantage point, Lance could see a lot farther away than before, and he spotted the soldiers one block away. He was about to take his bayard and shoot when he realized that the flashes of light would give him away. Cursing silently, he squeezed the bayard and figured he'd just improvise with his- sniper rifle?

He gaped down at his new weapon in shock, which quickly turned to smug glee. He took a position where he could easily keep an eye on the soldiers, resting the tip of his rifle on the edge of the roof. Adjusting his grip slightly to fit the new weapon, he began to pick off the droids, who reacted with surprise.

He quickly learned that targeting the middle of the group caused some sort of domino effect that knocked down many of them. When Keith caught wind of what was going on, he dashed out into the open street where he could aid Lance in the fight. This, of course, meant Lance had to be more careful with his aim, but it wasn't a problem for the two of them.

They were almost done with that troop of soldiers when Lance saw two of them double around in a circle to try and attack Keith’s weak spot. He could probably shoot one of them in time, by two would be a challenge, and if he made it, it would be a very close call, too close for his liking.

Lance tightened his grip on his weapon nervously, debating what to do. He could call out to Keith, but that would reveal his location to the Galra. Lance closed his eyes, squeezing shut, and gritted his teeth. He only had a few seconds to decide what he was going to do, and he still wasn't sure.

  
Keith whirled around to block an attack from a droid, sword clashing against the robot’s arm and slicing it clean off. He ended the fight with a quick slice across its chest, and it collapsed in a heap. He was feeling fairly confident, with only five or so of the soldiers left. He and Lance could handle this; the two of them were a good team, and they worked well together. He lowered his sword, gasping in a few breaths when all of a sudden, a voice rang out.

“Keith, six o’clock!” Lance yelled.

He didn't even pause to question Lance, raising his sword as he turned around to meet a blade that would have slicked his head clean off. He heard Lance take care of the few remaining soldiers as he dueled with the droid, matching every blow for blow. But though he was skilled, he was also tired, and the droid somehow managed to disarm him.

It went in for the kill, sweeping its sword out in an arc that Keith barely managed to dodge. It still cut his ear, the small wound hurting more than he thought it would.

Keith fell down, unbalanced, and watched in horror as the droid’s sword swept out to one side, ready to go in for the final blow. He closed his eyes, hissing in a breath- and then there was a bang and a loud crash, and Keith opened his eyes to see the droid crumpled on the ground, a hole shot clean through its chest.

He sat up on the ground, the reality of what had almost happened hitting him full in the face. He didn't notice Lance come up behind him until the Dreamer put a hand on his shoulder, and Keith flinched for a second before recognizing who it was.

“You blew your cover for me,” Keith said bluntly.

Lance blinked in surprise, mouth falling open in a small gape. He shook his head rapidly, squeezing his eyes shut for a few seconds before opening them again and raising an eyebrow at him.

“Wait,” Lance said slowly. “You just almost got killed, and all you can say is that I blew my cover?”

Keith knitted his brows, staring down at the ground in confusion.

“You were willing to blow your cover to save me,” he said. “Yeah, I know there weren't many soldiers left anyways, but you blew your cover to save me.”

Keith looked up at Lance, still perplexed. “Why?”

Lance spluttered in shock. “Why? Why? Because I care about you not dying, you idiot!”

“But you could've hit me when you shot that droid,” Keith countered.

“Y-yeah, but better take that chance than let that robot kill you,” Lance said indignantly. “Why are we even arguing about this?”

Keith paused. He wasn't really sure why he was even continuing this argument. Everything was just being process really, really slowly, and Keith wanted answers. Finally, he just gave Lance a shrug in lieu of a real reply, standing up slowly.

Lance rolled his eyes, huffing softly.

“Whatever, mullet,” he grumbled softly.

Keith accepted his bayard from Lance, clipping it onto his belt. A light wind started to pick up around them, and he looked up to see the Castle descending down upon them. The ship landed on the dusty street with a ground-shaking oomph, and Allura dashed out, face smudged with grime but happy.

“You're safe,” she said, relieved. “The fight is over- we won. Everyone else is inside already; come on!”

Lance grinned at Keith, and he returned a smile of his own.

“We’re a good team,” Keith said.

Lance laughed, a bright smile splitting his face.

“A good team,” he echoed. “A good team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are a Good Team™
> 
> But wait!! The story's not over yet ;)
> 
> also, I apologize for the chapter title. It was a friend's idea and I couldn't think of anything better so


	10. A New Beginning

Lance and the others wouldn't stay for very long after the battle was over. Keith tried to make the best use of his time, to For the next few days, Allura and Coran went over politics with foreign leaders, something Keith didn’t really care for. He got all his updates from Pidge, and only the things that really mattered- a time where Pidge’s tendency to leave out details was appreciated by him.

“Apparently, Lotor resurfaced after the battle, and asked Allura for the right to rule over what was originally Galra territory,” Pidge reported absentmindedly, tapping away on her laptop.

Keith laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“That doesn’t sound like it ended well,” Keith observed.

“They’re negotiating,” Pidge answered vaguely. “All the other surviving leaders will regain control of their lands, of course. Allura’s… torn on what to do. She wanted to be an ambassador between the Evervoid and Earth, but they held a summit just yesterday and they agreed that the link should be severed to stop anyone from getting too power hungry.”

“So Lance….” Keith trailed off, not really wanting to finish his thought.

“Yeah,” Pidge sighed. She closed her laptop, turning to look at Keith’s sprawled out form. “They wanted to keep Evervoid people where they were and make everyone from Earth go home. Separate things.”

"But I'm part of both worlds,” Keith said. “What does that mean for me?”

Pidge shrugged, kicking her feet up onto Keith’s bed. “I don’t know; maybe you get to choose or something.”

“Either way, I’d be leaving something behind.”

Keith turned his head to look at Pidge, a frustrated look on his face.

“Either way, I’d be leaving people I care about.”

Pidge winced, biting her lip. “This is horrible to say, but- I guess it all comes down to who you care about more.”

"I worked so hard- _we_ worked so hard to get here, I'm not sure if I want to leave," Keith huffed out. "This is where I grew up, after all. But Earth... Earth has Shiro, and Lance, too, and Earth is fun. And I like Earth."

Silence reigned for the next minute or so as Pidge stared off into space and Keith debated with himself over what to do.

"Speaking of our goals and all," Keith blurted out. "Did- did you ever, uh, find your dad?"

Pidge shook her head, moisture gleaming in her eyes for a few seconds.

"Matt and I can only assume that he, you know, passed," she whispered. "I mean. I'm lucky already to have found Matt. Th-this is fine."

Keith was silent for a few seconds, turning over this new information in his head. It was pretty clear that Pidge was not, in fact, fine, but Keith didn't know how to approach the topic.

"Pidge, I-" he tried.

"Save it," Pidge said tiredly. "Really. Keith, I appreciate it, but... it's not helping."

Another period of silence; only this one was more awkward and heavy, making Keith twitch uncomfortably.

"H-have you told Matt yet? About everything?" Keith asked, awkwardly changing the subject.

Pidge barked out a short laugh, smiling wryly.

"I didn't really have a choice not to," she pointed out. "He wasn't really mad at me, I think. He did say that it explained a lot about me, though."

Keith hummed, leaning back onto his bed and closing his eyes. "What about your aunt, Ryner? Have you spoken to her since we arrived?"

Keith, having closed his eyes, couldn't see Pidge, but he had the distinct feeling she was flipping him some rude gesture.

"We've talked, since we had to coordinate the attack," Pidge said, "but we haven't really, you know, _talked_."

"Good luck," Keith voiced. "You know how protective she could get, and you didn't exactly tell her you were going to travel back in time and into another reality."

"Thanks for the support," Pidge drawled, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Keith was about to shoot a snappy retort when Allura popped her head into their temporary room on the Castle of Lions.

"Pidge, Keith," she greeted. "We're sending Lance, Hunk, Matt, and Shiro home. Would you like to join?"

He saw Pidge side-eye him curiously, and grimaced. He still hadn't decided yet, and didn't know if he  _could_ decide. It was a big decision, and he didn't have quite enough time to think about it. But even if he didn't know what to do yet, at least he could see Lance off.

"I'll come," Keith said.

Allura flashed him a smile, turning around to leave the room.

"Follow me."

 

"Keith!" Lance exclaimed. "You came!"

Keith looked over to where Lance was, offering him a smile.

"I have to see you off, don't I?" Keith asked. "After all, this might be the last time i do."

Lance frowned, expression downcast. "Wait, you mean you're not coming to Earth with us?"

Keith shrugged, sighing. "I- I don't know. I don't have enough time to think it through. I want to come to Earth, but the Evervoid is my home, and I can't just leave it."

"Maybe Pidge can rig up some device to let us talk," Lance suggested weakly.

"Maybe," Keith agreed.

The two stood there in a melancholy silence, staring off into the distance.

"I'll miss you," they blurted out simultaneously.

Keith felt his cheeks warm, smiling shyly at Lance. He opened his mouth to say something else when Hunk walked up to them, greeting them both with a sad smile and an apologetic look.

"Sorry guys," he said. "Don't mean to interrupt or anything, but we gotta leave now."

"Guess this is goodbye, Lance."

"Yeah," Lance echoed. "I'll bug Hunk until he makes us a communications device, I promise."

"Okay."

"Okay."

They nodded to each other slightly awkwardly, and Lance stood there in front of him for as long as he could until Hunk called him away.

Keith waved to Lance one last time as Pidge started up her portal generation device, opening up a yellow net of crackling energy. He saw Lance flash him smile before the boy stepped through, and vanishing with a loud 'pop!'.

"I'm sorry, Keith," Pidge said quietly.

Keith twisted his lips wryly, offering Pidge a bittersweet smile.

He didn't get much sleep that night.

 

Not that it mattered in the end, of course. At around two in the morning, just as Keith began to get sleepy, an alarm rang throughout the Castle, jolting him awake. Leaping out of bed, he opened the door and ran down the hallway, rapping his knuckles against a metal door.

"Pidge!' he shouted, voice frazzled with nerves and confusion. "Pidge, wake up!"

Within moments, the door opened.

"Pack everything you want to take," Pidge ordered. "These aren't normal alarms; they're meant for emergencies, big ones. If you don't take what you want, you might never get it back. Hurry; I'll meet you in the control room."

Keith's heart pounded, blood roaring in his ears. The alarm continued to ring as he stuffed his knife and clothes into a small backpack, making his ears ache. Once he was done, he headed out into the hallway again. All the refugees that were living in the Castle were hurrying to the control room as well, and Keith couldn't help but be reminded of the day he and the others had escaped from the Garrison.

Upon arrival at the control room, he immediately sought out Pidge, and though it took a little pushing and shoving, he finally made his way to her.

"What is even going on?" he asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with all these people pressed around him. "It's literally the middle of the night."

"Hush, Allura's making a global announcement," Pidge said.

"People of the Evervoid," Allura began, tremors of fear evident in her voice. "Tonight, I have a horrible announcement for you. Unbeknownst to us, the rift has increased in volatility, and just an hour ago, has destroyed the land of the Taujeerians. As a result of this, we must all evacuate."

Allura paused to let the people react before clearing her throat. "Thankfully, we have not destroyed the link between our reality and Earth just yet. There is still hope. Previous contact has confirmed that the leaders of the Garrison would be willing to provide temporary shelter for us. However, we still need a way to travel. I believe that if we harness the energy of the rift to crack a hole into the very fabric that divides us from Earth, we should all be able to travel through safely. Anyone who has gifts suitable for aiding us in this process, we ask you to come forward and help. I understand what I am asking you to do, and acknowledge that is not the ideal path to take. But as it is the fastest and the only one we have, I am sorry to say that it is the path we must take. People of the Evervoid, you have an hour before we must leave. Do what you must in that time, and I will see you again on Earth."

There was a click, and then the video ended. Keith stood there, numb and in shock as he tried to process what had just happened.

"-ith, Keith, do you hear me?" Pidge asked worriedly. "You gotta help; your gift is perfect for this kind of stuff. You should go over to Allura."

 

As Keith walked over to the Altean princess, he couldn't help but wonder if it was bad of him to only think of seeing Lance again.

 

Lance woke up at the Garrison for the first time in a few weeks, but instead of being comforted, he only felt nostalgic and slightly empty. Not only was it Keith who he missed, but also Pidge, and the adventure he had gone on. He didn't mean to say that he wished the war lasted forever, but it had kind of instilled a sense of purpose and belonging in him. And now that it was gone… he just felt kinda hollow.

Lance sighed, swinging his feet onto the ground and standing up. Glancing over to Hunk’s bed, he noticed that it was suspiciously empty and cold. He ignored it, choosing instead to go to the bathroom and washing up.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, drying his face with a soft cloth, he felt off, like there was someone else there.

He lowered the cloth and looked around, only to see Keith, perched on his bed and grinning at him.

The towel fell to the floor as Lance gasped in surprise, his mouth silently forming Keith's name in a question.

"Miss me?” Keith asked.

Lance recovered from the shock fast enough to form a snappy retort, placing a hand on his hip.

“Who's the one who couldn't stay away for even a day, huh?” Lance replied, but the huge smile on his face betrayed his happiness.

But after that he soon sobered up, as he began to think about the reasons why Keith would be here.

“What happened?” Lance asked. “Is everything okay?”

A flash of emotion passed over Keith’s face, too quickly gone for Lance to identify it.

“No,” Keith admitted. “Not very long after you guys left, maybe eight hours or so, the rift exploded. The Taujeerians-”

“Those weird worm-looking guys?” Lance interrupted. “They okay?”

Keith pursed his lips, shrugging. “For the most part, I guess, yeah.

“Anyway,” he continued. “Their land was blown up, and they were relocated to different areas. But after that, it became clear that the explosion was only a warning sign of what was about to happen. Allura made an announcement and that we all had to be evacuated, and that the Garrison had apparently offered to house us temporarily. So here we are.”  
Lance squinted at Keith, taking a few steps closer to him. “Fine, but are you okay? You look really, really tired.”  
“I had to help make this gigantic portal at three in the morning, so I'm tired and not allowed to use my Gift for the twenty four hours, but otherwise I'm fine.”

Lance made a small sound of displeasure, shaking his head.

“And emotionally?”

Keith hesitated, looking away from Lance.

“I- well… I'm glad that I can be with you and Shiro and everyone else again,” he said slowly. “And I'm glad that I didn't really have to choose in the end. But I didn't want all of this to happen, not at the expense of the Evervoid. You know what I mean?”

"Yeah, totally," Lance reassured. "Well... what are you going to do? Are you going to continue your training at the Garrison?"

Keith blinked, considering Lance's words. "I haven't thought about it, actually. I- I assumed I'd find something to do in the Evervoid, but I obviously can't do that now. I..."

Keith sucked in a breath, quieting down. "I'll have to start my life over."

Lance stared at Keith's curled up from, and his mouth acted before his brain could advise him against it.

"Do you wanna start it with me?"

Keith's head shot up, a dark colored blush coloring his cheeks.

"Are you asking me out?"

Lance flushed as well, rubbing his neck nervously. "I mean- well yes, I was, but you don't have to. It's just that you looked sad, and-"

Keith's face was still red, but he smiled shyly.

"I'd love to, actually."

Lance ducked his head to hide the giddy smile that spilt his face, only glancing up when he felt a pinky locking around his.

And as he leaned into Keith, making the other boy stumble slightly with a squawk, somehow he didn't feel as empty anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THATS IT!!! My first VLD fic (and my first fic in general) is finished!! Hope y'all enjoyed, especially burgerking2-0 (my giftee for the Halloween exchange. My apologies for making this so late, but maybe at least it was worth it??) Kudos and comments (please!!) would mean the absolute world to me, as would constructive criticism.
> 
> If you want, visit me on tumblr at paladin-of-fandoms :D


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